


Meant to be Yours

by venomdrench (innerdreamscapes)



Series: Inspired by Heathers: The Musical [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: ... isn't that the entire idea of fanfic in the first place?, Especially for AUs?, F/M, High school AU set in canon timeline, I can make what shouldn't work really work here!, I hope you like it!, I love you so much!, It's Pokemon!, It's too flexible!, M/M, Multi, Or maybe not!, She probably expected this, This is for my buddy I am Lu on FFNET!, Violence Mentions, aggressiveness, anyway!, because I can make that happen, either way!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-28 03:25:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18202862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/innerdreamscapes/pseuds/venomdrench
Summary: Dawn Berlitz breaks up with Paul Rebolledo after she decides he’s too much for her… and Paul can’t handle it. Trapped in his grandiose sense of self, he plots to make what took her away from him meet an explosive fate. But it doesn’t blow-up the way he expects. Written in first person POV for Paul.





	Meant to be Yours

… Hn. 

It’s not the most impressive thing, to return to school against your own will. Not just because your entire Pokemon career is at stake, but because the Napajese government doesn’t want to be responsible for more… __unfortunate__ accidents because getting a trainer’s or coordinator’s or gym leader’s license as early as 10-years-old is too early to many, __many__ adults. 

While I can’t say I disagree, it’s still bullshit to me that __everyone__ who has a trainer’s license is required to attend, even gym leaders, even tower tycoons, even frontier brains, even __island leaders__. __I__ myself am perfectly responsible and have remained alive throughout most of my own journey. I strictly believe it’s the… __less__ responsible or more idiotic folk who should at least __consider__ prior training. As much as I am an advocate for knowledge, I can gain that myself, through experience, through libraries, through my own goddamn __father__ who is an instructor here as well as a frontier brain.

Well, I suppose if even a certain loser who attends this school can suck it up and endure it, I should too. I breeze through lectures and assignments and am often allowed to attend to my own business early, since my instructors seem impressed with my abilities--especially with maintaining top grades in my class. I can enjoy a nice day, maybe let Marmortar or Electivire out for some fresh air. 

After the Sinnoh League, I can understand what it means to connect more with your Pokemon emotionally these days, but I also understand just how emotionally __unavailable__ I am. Not just to my team, but even to my __girlfriend__ who broke up with me just __yesterday__.

__“Paul, i’m sorry. I love you. I’m just not sure if you feel the same way a lot of the time and… it’s too much for me, to think about the idea that you don’t. Please, can we just be friends?”_ _

Friends. __Friends__. Those are useless. There’s a reason despite hanging around them I don’t consider Ash and his bundle of __assholes__ friends. They’re all idiots in their own right. Even that Gary Oak, Ash Ketchum’s boyfriend, Oak’s grandson, is a bit on the dimmer side to me. I likely have a fairer chance at becoming a better researcher than he’s become. I can’t even fathom what Dawn sees in him that’s so charming--most of his __poetry__ are common phrases and words just meshed together to __sound__ intelligent. 

There’s a difference between genuine poetry and intellect and trying too hard to be something they’re not.

“Mr. Rebolledo?” 

My head snaps up. I’ve forgotten I’m in the middle of a lecture on Pokemon’s individual values and effort values. I have a perfect score in the class, but i’m still expected to contribute to the lecture as well as pay attention. All in efforts to make the professor look better.

“Yes, Professor Juniper?” I do my best to show my respect despite being __rudely__ ripped away from my thoughts. I often do not appreciate the prodding, but at least she is someone __worthy__ enough of my respect in the first place.

“Can you tell us the main benefits of having a Pokemon on your team with perfect individual value stats?”

“Yes,” I respond, and I stand up for the class and present my answer. My peers, as per usual, are impressed with my knowledge. Professor Juniper tells me to be seated after expressing being just as pleased with my answer, leading me to assume that it is what she expected of me, resuming the lecture. 

Where have I left off? 

Ah, yes -- my girlfriend and I have separated, much to my chagrin. I want to get her back. 

I don’t exactly understand how to do that. According to Dawn Berlitz, the beautiful, talented star coordinator of this godforsaken facility in Napaj, located right by Victory Road in Kanto, she thinks of me as too aggressive, too unfeeling. Too __much__ , she says. I’m too __much__ for her. I actually like to think I have an appropriate balance in my personality, but it’s not just her who believes such things about me. Even her friends, even our other peers, feel this way.

I do not understand why I have to __care__.

I only care what Dawn thinks of me.

I only care whether she loves me or not -- I know she __does__.

I only care whether I’ll get her back or not. 

I don’t even know how to do it! 

Who do I even ask? I don’t want to __ask__ for help; everyone knows that to be unlike me… I need to do this __myself__. I need to find out what took Dawn away from me to start with and take it away from __her__ and the __world__. 

That’s it! 

It’s this goddamn __school__. We were happy before we had to go back to __school__ and being reunited with her friends after they’ve traveled together, must have made her change her mind about me! 

__That’s it!_ _

That’s what I need to do! 

Get rid of this __school__ , show just how __inefficient__ the place is by blowing it up my goddamn __self__. That’ll get Dawn to realize what she’s done to me and make her want to come back. It’ll make her want me to be myself again. She’s always about that stupid ‘friendship-makes-the-world-go-’round’ bullshit. Like that Tea Gardener from that __Yu-Gi-Oh!__ Series Ketchum claims to love so much and often compares Dawn to, more to piss her off than an accurate statement, but I believe it to be an accurate statement.

I lean back against the chair at my desk with a tiny smirk on my face, unnoticed by Professor Juniper as she continues to review the students on what we’ve covered today on her topic. It’s nothing I don’t already know, so I tune her out as I devise a plan: blow up the campus, Marmortar and Electivire are excellent for the job. 

I don’t care what becomes of me in the end -- I know my father will pull some strings. I __am__ his preferred sibling, after all. 

* * *

Next period, I find Dawn in the hallway conversing with another coordinator friend of hers, May Maple, I believe her name is. I never care to remember, but these are people Dawn care about. 

I try to at least pretend I do -- Dawn’s someone who means a lot to me too. She’s the only one I can really trust. Not my brother. Not even my goddamn father. But Dawn.

Dawn is someone who makes me feel whole.

Sighing, I decide to lean against my locker, hoping she’ll notice I’m watching her. Will she talk to me? 

God, am I that desperate? 

Apparently so.

She bids farewell to her friend, and she’s turning to my direction. She stops in her tracks, manages her soft, beautiful smile I love seeing, something I wish she’d save for me but she’s a happier person than me. She’ll smile all the time.

Her cerulean eyes shift left and right, deciding she doesn’t see the harm in talking to me. She approaches me, her arms swinging on either side of her. 

“What’s the deal, babe?” she asks, still addressing me like that. As if we’re still together. “Done with your lecture already?” 

“Yeah, I completed my assignment early. Professor Sycamore let me off.”

“Well, of course he would.”

I try to grin, but I fail at it. I’m not as smiley as she is. I can’t be. It’s just not masculine. 

“I guess I’ll… see you around,” I tell her. “I know you’ve got better things on your mind than be with me.”

Dawn frowns, and it’s a first. That’s the first time I’ve seen her frown since we broke up. 

“Well, Drew and May are expecting me at the dance this weekend, but I don’t have a date anymore, so,” Dawn then pales, her mouth forming an “o” shape, “Unless I accept Kenny’s offer, which you know I won’t.”

“I can still get him off your back,” I promise her. “Don’t worry about him.”

“Thanks, Paul. You’re still the best.”

I want to say I believe that. Then why break up with me? Then why leave me alone again? She knows how I feel about Reggie. She knows how I feel about my father, Brandon, yes, the frontier brain Brandon. She knows how alone I am. 

Why can’t she see that I need her? Why can’t she see that I’m nothing without her?

“I’ll see you later,” she finishes as the five-minute warning bell rings, pecking my cheek and scurrying off. She joins up with her friends, Drew Hayden and Barry Pearl, who are waiting for her. Speaking of her friends, what are those other people up to? Ketchum and Oak, or whoever else? I don’t care to name them.

My face falls. There’s some hope there. She still seems to think about me if she goes out of her way to say ‘hi,’ knowing full well I’m not one for conversations like those. I hate small talk. Unless… it’s her. She’s my exception to any and all things I hate.

If I can appear at least somewhat sane for a while longer before I can figure out how to get rid of this hellish facility that tore us apart (and hopefully Kenny along with it), then I’m golden. I just don’t know if I can keep the charade up for long -- like everything is going just like any other normal day. I’m not exactly easy to suspect of anything, though, other than hateful pranks. Exploding the school definitely isn’t one of those things on the list.

I wonder if there’s a way to at least evacuate the people Dawn cares about out of the school before I can blow it up -- I don’t want to risk her getting depressed about other people and unfocused on __me__ when the whole purpose of this plotline is to get her attention again.

I can’t have this plan backfire. My plans… they always succeed. I always have a plan. I always know what I’m doing.

And I will have Dawn, my dear, sweet, beautiful Dawn Berlitz, my true princess, back to me.

* * *

It’s the last period -- and my time to show the Napajese government that this whole setup is a heap of __bullshit__. For it to tear me and Dawn apart? It has to go, all of it has to go, and I’m going to make sure I succeed at blowing up this school. 

The students disperse, either returning to their dorms or their homes off the campus if they are locals near the area, providing me the opportune moment to find a secluded area to toss a few Flamethrowers, Thunders, or a combination of those moves at the school. It can’t be too protective?

Has the Napajese government even considered a potential attack on the school? 

It is likely… and that may mean that I cannot blow up the school. This is an issue of mine, remaining so one-track-minded that I often forget to consider outliers. Hm… 

There must be something I can do.

“Paul?” 

Oh, fuck.

“... Hello.”

“What’re you doing out here, and those look like Marmortar’s and Electivire’s balls? Oh, can we say hi? We haven’t seen them released in a while!” 

“Pika, pika!”

“... Um, no. I’m in the middle of something.”

“Uh, I kind of got that. Look, I know you and Dawn broke up yesterday -- “

I sigh. 

“ -- and I just wanted -- “ 

I almost want to punch him.

“ -- maybe we can help you work this out with her?” 

__What?_ _

“What’s in it for you?” 

Ketchum furrows his bushy eyebrows. God, has he considered waxing? “Whaddoyah mean what’s in it for me? Nothing’s in it for me. I just care about Dawn!”

Me and him both, as much as I hate to admit it.

“Okay. So… how do you suggest I ‘work it out’ with her, as you say?” 

“I mean… well.. She’s a girl! GIrls like romance! Girls like flowers, a nice dinner, maybe the whole Prince Charming, sweep-her-off-her-feet gig? I mean, not that you’re any ‘Prince Charming’ in anyone’s book -- “

\-- Why haven’t I punched him yet? -- 

“ -- and I will say this: despite how much I respect Dawn, her choosing __you__ as a boyfriend is the worst decision she’s __ever__ made -- “

Seriously. Can I punch him? 

“ -- and she always tells me __not__ to worry, but that’s always when I worry the most!” 

I pinch my nose, inhale sharply, before exhaling. “Okay. Fine. Flowers, dinner, maybe I’ll endure a movie -- does that suit your wishes about winning Dawn back?” 

The idiot beams, and his rodent chirps in happiness and approval. As if I need it. “Yeah! Besides, it’s probably way better than what you were planning to do, which is probably just brood, brood, __brood__. You just __love__ doing that!”

… Yeah. Brood. And be useless. Because that’s … something I prefer to do and be. 

This idiot is more and more an idiot the more I talk to him.

“... Right” I turn away, crossing my arms over my chest. So much for blowing up the school, as more entertaining as that sounds than asking Dawn back out on a date to win her back the old-fashioned way. Even if my family raised me to be more traditional with my approach, it’s boring. “Thank you. Now get lost.”

Ash sighs, muttering something like “same old Paul” before running off. At least this gives me a new perspective on things -- I can just be back to my boring self and it seems to be what Dawn prefers, according to Ash. 

Well, I should seek her out, get on with this date thing… and hope for the best. 

If she truly does love me for me, despite what she says, then it’ll work. 

 

After all, I always feel I am meant to be hers.

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, this just goes to show how much I love Lu, okay? She’s been my ride or die since… Fuck, 2012? 2011? I believe it’s slightly earlier than that, but my sense of time is skewed. Regardless, I love you, chickadee, and you deserve the world. I can give you the worlds you want in fanfic, at least? Is that a proper alternative? ;A;
> 
> Some quick-facts. I got the ‘high school AU in a canon setting’ idea as a call-back to an old fanfic I used to love, called “All for One” by licoricejellybean on FFNET. It’s a highly recommended read from me, and something close to my heart. Some elements from the fic itself may be featured here, I just want to point out that none of that were my own ideas.
> 
> Obviously, this fic is also inspired by this very number from Heathers: The Musical. One day, Lu and I humored the idea that J.D. reminds us too much of Paul and Veronica too much of Dawn. Then this happened! :D


End file.
